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Student Health & Well-Being

Because MIT cares deeply about student well-being, Chancellor Barnhart wants you to know about the resources that can help when you’re struggling, as well as the new, innovative approaches to mental health and well-being happening across campus.

Resources & Policies

MIT’s Student Support Services (S3) provides support and advice for undergraduates dealing with academic and personal concerns. Approximately 75 percent of all MIT students will visit S3 at least once during their years at MIT, and S3 has well above 6,000 student visits each year. S3 deans can consult with faculty, administration, housing, financial services, and various Institute offices on your behalf.

MIT Medical’s Mental Health and Counseling Service has over 20 full-time service providers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, interns, and residents. Each year, these professionals help 21 percent of the student body with a variety of issues, including stress, isolation, academic pressure, insomnia, fatigue, alcohol and substance abuse, and the general problems of daily living.

Resources are available in your residence halls. Peer Ears and MedLinks are two examples of student-run programs in dormitories that can help you navigate life at MIT, connect you to mental health resources, and prescribe single doses of common over-the-counter medications or first aid supplies.

No matter what your graduate department, Resources for Easing Friction and Stress (REFS) can help. Both institute-wide (iREFS) and departmental (dREFS) programs for peer support provide accessible, confidential services in the form of support, coaching, listening, de-escalation, and informal mentoring and mediation.

For more than a year, Graduate Residential Life has been listening to suggestions from students and families in the graduate community. The Division of Student Life set up this office so we can better respond to the unique needs of the graduate student community.

With the help of students, important support policies have been revised and enhanced:

In the 2017-18 Academic Year, MindHandHeart launched the Department Support Project (DSP) pilot in several academic departments to strengthen the welcoming and inclusive nature of our academic climates.